Shingen already knew that his engagement with Sona wouldn't last. His plan was to milk a few more years of resources out of it to help Agumon evolve.
Now, things had changed. A guaranteed five-year contract was right in front of him, what more could he ask for?
"Rias, can you pay the full amount up front?" Shingen asked.
"A full five years? Probably not. But I can pay for one year right now." Rias replied after thinking it over.
"Alright. I accept the deal." Shingen nodded.
"Great. Then from now on, we're partners. Let's work well together." Rias smiled and extended her hand.
-----
Rias had paid a price to bring Shingen in as her shield.
And Shingen willingly took on the role.
After all, he was broke.
And his identity as the heir to the Leviathan bloodline was about to lose all value.
He needed to cash out before it became worthless, milk every last drop.
So when he left the old school building, Shingen had gained a dozen small boxes in his pocket.
That was Rias's down payment.
The rest of the magical beast corpses would be gathered as soon as possible by her.
"Enough for a whole year. That should definitely be enough for Agumon to evolve."
"And that's all thanks to Rias."
"Sure, she's using me. But that's how the world works."
"Being used, or rather, entering a mutually beneficial relationship, is proof of one's value."
"If no one even wants to use you, it just means you're useless."
Shingen silently offered a word of thanks to Rias in his heart and then took one last glance at the old school building.
Coincidentally... Rias was also standing by the window of the old building, watching Shingen leave.
Their eyes met for a few seconds. Perhaps it was the influence of Shingen's incubus bloodline, but Rias was the first to look away.
'Hmm… purely from looks, Shingen is far better than Riser. But unfortunately, devils value power and lineage over appearance.'
For devils, power and bloodline are beauty, they are justice.
Only after Rias stepped away from the window did Shingen look away.
But just as he turned his gaze, he heard a voice echoing from deep within his soul:
Ding!
Timeline for story progression detected.
System Activating...
Ding!
Congratulations, Host! You have awakened the "Multiverse Villain Sign-In System"!
Complete sign-ins and tasks to receive system rewards!
Reward grades: Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze.
The harder the sign-in, the stronger or rarer the target, the better the rewards.
Shingen stood stunned for a long time, listening to the voice in his mind.
When he finally processed it, he only said one thing:
"Fuck! A system?!"
The sudden awakening of this cheat-like system completely derailed Shingen's original plans.
Now he had to start over, rework everything from the ground up.
The system's announcements hadn't ended yet.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host, for triggering a Sign-In!
Sign-In Grade: Silver.
Task: Seize the Boosted Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor.
Everyone knows you can't let the protagonist keep his cheat item if you want to conquer a world.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. That cheat is right in front of you.
How could you not grab it?
"The Boosted Gear?"
"This task is... complicated."
Shingen frowned as he looked at the system interface.
The thing is, he already had it.
As a transmigrator, he'd been born with all his memories intact.
So he had planned to steal the Red Dragon Emperor's Boosted Gear long ago.
Right now, the gear was already in his possession.
The only problem was that, due to some faulty tech he got from the fallen angels, it had broken after just one use.
[...]
Even the system seemed a bit stunned that Shingen had completed the mission before it was even issued.
[...]
Ding!
Sign-In Task Completed!
Sign-In Grade: Silver.
Task: Seize the Boosted Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor.
Reward: Artifact Fusion and Evolution!
Artifact Fusion and Evolution:
Fusion: Perfectly fuses the artifact, removes dragon-type weaknesses, and erases the Red Dragon Emperor's consciousness, turning it into a masterless dragon soul.
Evolution: Fully awakens the dragon soul, giving it the ability to fuse with other dragon souls and continuously grow stronger.
Bonus Ability - Artifact Sharing: After evolution, the host can share the dragon soul with others. Each soul can only be shared with one person.
Note: Only those who have been fully conquered by mind and body, and those who contain the host's energy or bodily fluid, may be granted a dragon soul.
With the system's announcement....
The "Boosted Gear" hidden deep in Shingen's secret dimension burst free!
A crimson light flew out of Shingen's chest and surged back into him!
In an instant, the dragon soul fused into Shingen's body!
A powerful aura flashed briefly over Kuoh Academy, then quickly disappeared.
Shingen didn't stay on campus.
With his cheat awakened, Shingen immediately left the academy at full speed.
And then...
Right at the school gate, he saw a black-haired girl in the uniform of another school.
As if sensing his presence, the girl stepped away from leaning against the gate, her face lighting up with a radiant smile.
Wearing a bright expression, she nervously walked toward Shingen.
''H-Hi, Shingen."